Frequently Asked Questions
What health benefits do winged beans provide?
When harvested young before becoming fibrous, the full-length pods make a succulent green vegetable that can be eaten raw, boiled, fried, or pickled. These tender pods have fairly good amounts of calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. All parts of the winged bean plant are high in protein. The amino acid composition of the mature seed of the winged bean is very similar to that of soybean. The fatty acid composition of the seed is comparable with groundnut.
What parts of the winged bean plant can be eaten?
All components of the winged bean plant are edible. Leaves, flowers, and bean pods can be eaten after minimal blanching. The leaves can be used in salads or steamed like spinach. Full-grown seeds are also edible but only after being very well cooked. In some cultures, the skinned, cooked, root tubers are a popular food item; they have a higher protein content than potatoes and a sweetish, nutty flavour.
How do I grow winged beans plants?
'First Flight' winged beans are best planted between mid-October and December for continuous bean pod production, through to late autumn. Winged Beans grow on vines and will need a structure to support the climbing stems.
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Visit our Grow & Harvest page for more information.
What are the ideal growing conditions?
The ‘First Flight’ winged bean cultivar has been selected for the climate conditions of eastern New South Wales. However, it is frost-sensitive; so, it’s best to wait until all threat of the last frost for the season has passed before transplanting any seedlings. They can be started indoors and transplanted into raised beds or sown directly into containers and then moved outside once any cool weather has passed. You can also simply start growing ‘First Flight’ seedlings directly in the ground, provided that the threat of frost has passed and the ground is warm enough to promote growth. Winged beans need full sun and a trellis to support the climbing vines.
What are the soil and water requirements?
Winged bean seedlings require plenty of moisture to establish and grow. As with most plants grown in the heat of the summer, it’s best to water your winged bean in the morning so that the moisture has a chance to penetrate well into the soil before the heat of the day. Less frequent, deep watering is better than frequent shallow watering.
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Winged beans do best in soil of pH 6 - 7.5. They can grow in a range of soil textures from sandy loams through to clays, but the soils need to be prepared well to allow for free drainage, particularly if you wish to encourage tuber development in autumn towards the end of the podding season. Ensuring your soil blend is rich in organic matter will promote free drainage.
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Pests and Disease
Winged beans grown in NSW summer conditions are not greatly affected by insect pests such as aphids or flower-eating caterpillars. Nor are fungal diseases usually of economic significance. On the other hand, spider mites (of the genus Tetranychus) and broad mites (of the genus Polyphagotarsonemus) under certain conditions can build up to cause significant plant damage and losses.
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Spider mites first appear on the underside of leaves and are encouraged by hot dry environments, particularly when plants are grown indoors sheltered from the rain. Dry, protected conditions also favour white flies (of the family Aleyrodidae) which attack flowers and substantially reduce pod-set in glasshouse conditions. Three tactics in the control of spider mites are (1) maintain humidity by appropriate watering regimes (2) remove infected leaves the moment symptoms first appear (3) spray wettable sulphur.
Broad mites are usually more difficult to control and cause significant damage. They attack and distort growing points and young flowering shoots. If they are detected early, the best strategy is to systematically remove all damaged growing points showing symptoms. But once they take hold they are difficult to control without resorting to chemical means. Crop rotation is a sensible long-term strategy for reducing the build-up of pests such as these mite species and root-knot nematodes (of the genus Meloidogyne) which tend to accumulate in soils where the winged bean is grown repeatedly over several seasons.
How long will it take to see Bean Pods?
What do winged beans taste like?
While all parts of the winged bean plant are edible, the young, full-length pods are the most popular. Harvested when they are five to six inches long, the green pods of ‘First Flight’ can be sliced into stir-fries or curries. The slices can also be incorporated into fresh salads after a quick sterilising rinse in hot water. They have a crisp texture and a slightly stronger flavour than other bean species. The white or blue flowers are traditionally used to flavour and colour rice dishes. The cooked tubers have a nutty flavour and have significantly higher protein than potatoes or yams. The tubers must be skinned and then boiled or pressure-cooked to render them fit for consumption.